Startling Quote by Virginia Woolf
““What was it then? What did it mean? Could things thrust their hands up and grip one; could the blade cut; the fist grasp? Was there no safety? No learning by heart of the ways of the world? No guide, no shelter, but all was miracle, and leaping from the pinnacle of the tower into the air? Could it be, even for elderly people, that this was life?—startling, unexpected, unknown? For one moment she felt that if they both got up, here, now on the lawn, and demanded an explanation, why it was so short, why was it so inexplicable, said it with violence, as two fully equipped human beings from whom nothing should be hid might speak, then, beauty would roll itself up; the space would fill; those empty flourishes would form into shape; if they shouted loud enough Mrs. Ramsay would return. “Mrs. Ramsay!” she said aloud, “Mrs. Ramsay!” The tears ran down her face.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Mrs Dalloway, 1925
A character confronts existential uncertainty, feeling both awe and fear at life's unpredictable moments.
In simple terms: Life feels both miraculous and terrifying.
Key Takeaway
Embrace uncertainty as part of living.
Themes
existential
miracle
uncertainty
age
emotion
Mood
melancholic
introspective
poetic
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- personal crisis
- artistic creation
- elderly experience
Key Concepts
philosophy
psychology
human condition
Questions to Reflect On
- What does the “miracle” represent for you?
- How do you cope with sudden awe?
A Different Perspective
The passage is dense and may be hard to parse for some readers.
![“[S]he realized quite abruptly that this thing which took him off, which kept him out so many hours day after day, this thing that was against her own little will and instincts—was enormous as the sea. It was no mere prettiness of single Trees, but something massed and mountainous. About her rose…” quote by Algernon Blackwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e41/algernon-blackwood-15571_forest_s-he-realized-quite-abruptly-that-this-t_2977887.jpg)
